Judge Bob Moon asked to recuse himself from slain officer case

A public defender for Jesse Ray Mathews, the man accused of killing Chattanooga Police Department Sgt. Timothy Chapin, filed a motion today asking for Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon to recuse himself in the case.

Moon wrote a memorial poem called "Away is Not Forever" in tribute to Sgt. Chapin, which was displayed during the officer's funeral on Thursday. The poem was also published on Chattanoogan.com, and copies are being printed by Aladdin Printing and Copying for distribution to the public, according to the filing.

"The defendant feels that should Judge Moon fail to disqualify himself, his impartiality might be open to question," the motion states. "It is important to the integrity of the criminal justice system that the public's confidence in the impartiality of its judiciary not be eroded by an appearance of bias."